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Academic Integrity: FAQs

Where can I go for more advice?

For help understanding academic integrity issues, including plagiarism, you can speak to:

  • Your module leader for advice about specific questions relating to the subject of your module or assessments
  • Effective Learning Service for advice about academic writing and study skills
  • Your subject librarian for advice about using different kinds of sources, referencing and citations

An author has written something so well that I want to copy their exact words - what do I do?

You have two choices:

  1. Select a sentence or two and copy them into the appropriate section in your assessment, but don't forget to show clearly the source and follow the citation style required by your module (Harvard/APA). However, use this carefully otherwise your assessment will read like a series of quotations and you will only have small number of words for your assessment.
  2. After you have read the article/chapter/website, try to put the ideas that you respect into your own words. This will show to your tutors that you have really understood the ideas. Don't worry if you do not express the ideas as well as the original author. The more you practice to develop your skills the better they will become.

Should I use a direct quotation or paraphrase?

It is usually better if you can explain ideas, theories and concepts in your own words rather than using a direct quotation. If you use too many quotations, you assessment can become rather stilted and difficult for the reader to follow. Also, quotations take up valuable words, which you can use to show the development of your ideas and arguments.

Do I need to source information from a website?

It is essential that you source everything especially websites. If there is no author for the website, make sure that you reference it according to Cite Them Right guidelines: 

Do I need to source well-known facts?

It is not necessary to source general, well known established facts, e.g.: The Battle of Hastings was in 1066. This is generally accepted and does not need to be sourced. It is essential that you document sources of facts that are not widely known or that are not widely accepted throughout the academic community.

You will find your tutors will often not reference ideas that are widely known in the subject area but provide a reference list as a hand-out. As part of becoming a scholar in your subject area through your reading, you will start to find out what is common knowledge and what is not. It is advisable to watch out for what is and what is not referenced in books and articles.

What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography?

You need to produce a reference list at the end of your assessment which shows all the sources that you have referred to in your assessment. It should be in the style that has been recommended by your tutors. In comparison a bibliography lists all the reading that you have undertaken prior to your writing of your assessment. Usually your tutors will ask you for a reference list but if you are unsure, check this with your tutor.

Do I need to reference lecture notes, presentations, or handouts?

You are strongly encouraged to consult original sources when writing for assessment and you should not rely on lectures or handouts whether in paper or web format when completing an assessment. As a result you would not normally expect lecture notes to be referenced in an assessment because you should be referencing the original resource which you should have consulted.

However, there may also be situations when it will be appropriate to reference your lecture notes or a hand-out provided by your lecturer. For example where the lecturer has presented a model that they have developed which has not appeared in any publication or used an example that you want to use to illustrate a particular point. 

Follow Cite Them Right's guidance on referencing these kinds of sources:

Do I need to reference in my oral presentation?

It is absolutely essential that you reference work in any oral presentations that you give. You should ensure there are full references on your Powerpoint presentation; handouts and you should have a reference list that you can distribute to your audience.

Do I still need to source a piece of work that no longer has copyright?

You may have a quotation from a book or a play that does not have copyright e.g. a Shakespeare play. You still have to reference the work.

What do I do if there is no publication date?

It depends on the type of source. Check Cite Them Right by looking up the type of source and then seeing what to do if there is no publication date. In Harvard you tend to need to put (no date) after the name of the author/creator. In APA you are usually asked to put (n.d.) after the author/creator.